THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, October 24, 1995 TAG: 9510240324
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ROBERT LITTLE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines
The candidates in one of Virginia's most closely watched legislative races began their anticipated campaign of the airwaves this week, a sign, both say, that the sprint to Election Day has begun.
Sen. Clarence A. ``Clancy'' Holland and his Republican challenger, Ed Schrock, unveiled television commercials Monday that will be broadcast in Hampton Roads. Each candidate will spend $30,000 or more on television this week alone and is expected to at least double that amount by the Nov. 7 election.
Schrock has produced two ads. One shows him standing at a voter's door pitching his allegiance to Gov. George F. Allen. Another takes shots at Holland, stamping the word ``wrong'' in red letters across the screen. The General Assembly's Republican Caucus paid about half the costs.
Holland's commercial features the Virginia Beach physician chatting with Little Leaguers and a law enforcement officer. An announcer highlights Holland's position on spending for education, public safety and welfare reform.
``What is happening now is both sides are positioning what they want their message to be between now and Election Day,'' said Jeff Browne, Holland's campaign manager.
In many ways, the two candidates' messages are the same. Both use their advertisements to highlight three issues they think define their differences.
They are:
The profits Virginia makes from the state lottery. Schrock, like many Republicans, wants to give that $300 million to local governments. Holland's commercial notes that the former Virginia Beach mayor ``opposed returning lottery money to local politicians.''
Giving lottery profits to localities became a last-minute priority of the Allen administration this year and was defeated by Democrats who argued the plan would leave a hole in the state budget. Holland's ad says the plan would cost Virginia Beach $90 million in education money over five years because Democrats passed a measure dedicating all lottery profits to education. But even some Democrats call that a ruse, because lottery money is simply part of the state's general fund from which all bills are paid anyway.
Holland's support of welfare reform. The Democratic senator helped broker a compromise this year that produced one of the toughest welfare-reform measures in the country. His ad says he ``fought the leaders of both parties to make sure Virginia welfare reform would be the nation's toughest . . . and fairest.''
Holland did not support a welfare-reform plan offered by Allen during this year's law-making session that would have cost the state less money. Schrock says that means Holland was soft and wasteful. Holland said the final version is more fair to welfare families. He notes that Allen hails the bill as one of his administration's legislative achievements.
State spending. Both candidates use their ads to preach fiscal responsibility. Schrock says he would support Allen's plans to cut state spending; Holland says those cuts would force higher local taxes. ILLUSTRATION: Welfare reform, state spending and the lottery are subjects
featured in the television ads of Sen. ``Clancy'' Holland, left, and
Ed Schrock.
KEYWORDS: CAMPAIGN GENERAL ASSEMBLY RACE by CNB